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Spring means two things to me – lemon and strawberry. I just posted a strawberry ice cream recipe, and here’s a lemon one to go with it! Unlike a lot of my ice cream recipes which are just blended and poured right into the ice cream churn, this one has a base that includes eggs and gets cooked, so it’s a little creamier than a lot of my other recipes.
PS – check out the bottom of the post for a #bloggerlife tidbit…
Fresh lemons really add a great dimension to this ice cream. Don’t use bottled juice! It’s just not the same. I didn’t believe that until I tried it for myself, but the difference is vast.
Be sure to go enter the Heritage Outdoor Gallery Art giveaway for a chance to win a handcrafted outdoor plaque of your choice! Giveaway ends May 17th at midnight, EST.
As always, check out the Notes section of the recipe for answers to FAQs, and check out the Suggested Products section below the printable recipe to find links to the products I use.
Other posts/pages you might like:
- Starting THM
- my complete picture recipe index
- my ice cream index
- Mother’s Day Cupcakes (lemon!)
- Blueberry Poppy Seed Lemon Cake in a Bowl
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You can find this recipe in my cookbook, Necessary Food.
- 2 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk (or carton coconut milk for a nut free option)
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 2 eggs
- ⅜ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. fresh lemon zest
- 1 tsp. glucomannan
- 1 T salted butter
- 1 T vegetable glycerin (optional but highly recommended)*
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp. THM Pure Stevia Extract Powder
- 3 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
- Blend the almond milk, cream, lemon juice, eggs, salt, lemon zest, and glucomannan in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a nonstick saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once the mixture comes to a boil, immediately remove it from the heat and whisk in the butter, vegetable glycerin, vanilla, stevia, and food coloring. Bring the ice cream mixture to room temperature or colder before churning.
- Churn the cooked ice cream mixture in an automatic countertop ice cream churn according to manufacturer’s directions. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer safe container. Freeze for 30-60 minutes for a firmer texture if desired. Yields 5-6 servings
If you don't have an ice cream maker, you could try freezing the ice cream mixture in ice cube trays (after cooking), then blending the cubes with some almond milk or cream in a high-powered blender into a soft serve ice cream consistency.
Most people with nut allergies can handle coconut just fine, but check with your doctor first to make sure.
Suggested products:
- I use this Cuisinart 1 1/2 qt. Automatic Ice Cream Churn.
- Glucomannan or THM Organic Glucomannan
- Vegetable Glycerin
- THM Pure Stevia Extract Powder
#bloggerlife tidbit: I made this ice cream for supper one night, but didn’t freeze it long enough before photographing it. I was kind of in a hurry to eat it, so the pictures were lackluster. There was some ice cream left over, so the next night I let it thaw slowly in the fridge for 3 hours while we were at church. When we got home, the ice cream was the perfect scoopable texture (thank you, vegetable glycerin!), so I rephotographed it – this time taking more time to style it and adding in some extras for visual interest. I was so glad I gave it a second shot (haha). Check out the difference!
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Is cooking the base necessary for the ice cream to turn out well?
Yes, that’s essential for the texture.
Hello! Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes! I have all of the ingredients for this ice cream except the THM pure stevia extract powder. I do, however, have THM Gentle Sweet. I was wondering if I could substitute the stevia extract powder for the gentle sweet, and if so, how much you would recommend. Again, thank you!
Yes, you can substitute for the stevia. 🙂 This sweetener conversion chart is handy to print out and use for such conversions: http://www.trimhealthymama.com/main-home/sweetener-conversion-chart/
I substituted one can of coconut milk/cream for the almond milk, which was almost 2 cups, and used almond milk for the remainder. Unfortunately, I was gung ho on making all your ice cream recipes, ok, I just make the strawberry, but my ice cream maker was no longer cold enough to freeze the lemon, so I have it in the fridge until the ice cream bucket is frozen again…it tastes SO good though!! Can’t wait until it’s frozen.
Sounds yummy!! I want some! Glad you’re enjoying the recipes.
Briana -thank you for this recipe!
i have a question about the glycerin.. i am in Ontario and can only find what is called 100% glycerin (in a baking/bulk store) but other than that it doesn’t say if it s a vegetable or animal source – do you know if it will make a difference? (Store is called Prime Ingredient)
Hi Ann! I’m afraid I have no idea. If it doesn’t have a poison warning on the bottle, it’s worth a try. It should be a clear, syrupy liquid.
haha-okay thanks, that is what it looks like, and its a food grade, so i will try it out
🙂
Hey Briana…Love your recipes! Thank you! I was wondering if I could use gentle sweet in the ice cream recipes instead of stevia. I hate the after taste you get with stevia and I don’t seem to notice that with the gentle sweet in other items I make. If I could use that what would be the amount vs the stevia? Of course gentle sweet can get pricey if it is a large amount, but would be worth it if no after taste! TIA! 🙂
Hi Sherry! According to the THM Sweetener Conversion Chart (which can be found here: http://www.trimhealthymama.com/main-home/sweetener-conversion-chart/), you would use about 1/4 cup of THM Gentle Sweet in place of 1/4 tsp. of THM Pure Stevia Extract Powder. I don’t see a reason why that wouldn’t work, but definitely adjust it to taste. What brand of stevia are you using? I’ve found that the THM brand is hands-down the best tasting and doesn’t have a lot of the bitter aftertaste that other brands have. A lot of people oversweeten their recipes, and too much stevia is also a cause of the bitter taste. I personally don’t find that the 1/4 tsp. of THM stevia in this ice cream recipe leaves a bitter taste, but you’re welcome to use the Gentle Sweet if you prefer. 🙂
I use THM stevia. Maybe I used too much but tried to follow recipe
Gentle Sweet is definitely a good option, then. 🙂 It’s amazing how much taste buds differ!
Oh my goodness! My 17 year old daughter knows I love all things lemon, so she surprised me with this and it’s so yummy! It taste like a key lime pie to me for some reason. I LOVE KEY LIME PIE! Another great Briana recipe! Ty!!!!! Oh! Do you think we could use yolks next time instead of the whole egg? I have so many!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! I bet you could use egg yolks instead of the eggs…I’d probably try 4 egg yolks.
Is the base supposed to be ricotta cheese texture? It was lumpy so I tried to strain it and the whey separated so I put it all back together and just whisked really well…does this even out in churning? I am working on cooling right now…
Milk and lemon juice is exactly how I male ricotta cheese.
No, the base should be completely smooth. Did you make any substitutions? The addition of the glucomannan should keep the lemon juice/dairy from curdling as long as you don’t let the mixture sit unblended too long. I didn’t have any problems with it. I’m sorry it didn’t turn out for you!
Yes I used xanthan gum instead cause it is what i had. It actually tastes like lemon scrambled eggs…i am very sad.
Did you actually blend the mixture in a blender? When did it start separating?
Yes I blended…started separating in the pan. Oh well…move on to the next recipe for me ?
Thanks for letting me know…I’m sorry it didn’t work for you!
I need help finding edible vegetable glycerine. The employee at Better Health store (in Michigan) said that it’s not edible. What can I buy?
The one I buy off of Amazon is linked below the recipe. I believe that NOW brand of vegetable glycerin that can be found at Whole Foods (in the skincare section) is food grade.
Hi Briana,
We all LOVE your recipes. However, I made a commitment to go dairy free (my last ‘holdout’) at least for 6 weeks, so while I know this ice cream won’t be as creamy if I leave out the heavy cream, do you suppose it’ll work if I just use all cashew milk or maybe sub coconut milk for heavy cream? Thanks!
Actually, I recommend doing a lemon tweak on this dairy free basic ice cream recipe: https://www.briana-thomas.com/dairy-free-ice-cream/
Or here’s a lime dairy free ice cream: https://www.briana-thomas.com/lusciously-lime-dairy-free-ice-cream/
Both of those are super creamy and I think you’d really enjoy them!
Thanks, I’ll check them both out!
Hi Briana, I made this recipe and froze it in a pan because I don’t have an ice cream maker. The taste was good but the texture was slimey. Do you think this is due to not using an ice cream maker? Thank you!
Yes, this is definitely not meant to just be frozen in a pan and the texture will be quite different from churning it, I’m afraid.
Hi Briana, loving your work btw. Can I ask if I can substitute 1 tsp. glucomannan with Xanthan Gum? Is it fundamentally the same thing? I ask as I’m struggling to find anywhere ‘retail’ in Melbourne, Australia where I can buy it.
Thanks in advance. PaulG
Hi Paul! Yes, xanthan gum and glucomannan can usually be substituted in a 1:1 ratio. As far as I know, glucomannan can only be found online.
Hi Briana! I’m thinking about getting an ice cream maker just so I can make your recipes! What size ice cream maker do you need to make your recipes? I’m seeing 2 qt and 4 at as the most common options. That’s so much!
I use this 1 1/2 qt. model (affiliate link): https://www.briana-thomas.com/recommends/cuisinart-1-12-qt-automatic-ice-cream-churn/
Thanks so much!
Do you think that these would be good as freezer pops (no icecream maker here)? Maybe let the mixer cool after cooking them spoon it into my pop molds? Thanks for all you do!
I bet that would work! Especially if you have vegetable glycerin to help with texture. If you don’t, they might be kind of icy.